Saturday, February 28, 2015

Days like this, I feel like someone is pranking me hardcore. Readers of Idle Hands over the years will attest to my love for the quirky, insane, completely random humor of the Adventure Time cartoon series...so when you tell me someone is working on a full length feature film with creator Pendleton Ward both producing and writing...my head explodes. Seriously...I'm headless right now. It's a mess.

Friday, February 27, 2015

We don't cover this show very often because, honestly, it's more fun to shout about the highlights...and Thanos taking possession of The Infinity Gauntlet is absolutely a highlight! Avid Marvel Movie-goers will have to wait years to see this path come to its destructive end as the mad titan who would court Death gathers the ultimate power in the universe, but those of you with Disney XD on your Cable lineup can get an animated preview of this epic fight this weekend!

You know how to instantly get my attention? Tell me a new music video from one of the best rock acts of the modern age contains amazing comic book art depicting Barbarians ransacking villages, and ultimately, gutting the band itself. SOLD. With a Tweet from Nick Roche, the amazing artist behind this work, I dove in without hesitation, knowing I'd be reliving my torn jeans wearing youth, blasting Manowar songs outside my high school. Manowar understood the power of a great metal song where vikings bathed the lands in red and left only fires raging in their wake...you know..the foundations of music! Impossible to dance to..great for beer drinking. But we aren't here to speak of the bygone days of METAL...we are here to celebrate THE DARKNESS and a truly epic music video.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

You create a starkly real film about a washed up actor, most known for his role as a larger-than-life superheo, taking one last shot at the big time as his mind slowly unravels. It strikes a chord with people across the globe and you score multiple Oscar wins. What do you do next? MAKE AN ACTION FIGURE, OF COURSE! You can look at this as wish fulfillment, or crass marketing for a beautiful film that reaaaally should not have any tie in merchandise, or an in-universe extra that makes so much sense it should have been playing in the background in some New York TV shop window, as if you mock the lead character. Whatever the case, it's not real, but it's pretty damn fun.

Remember Electra Woman and Dyna Girl??!! Of course you don't. I'm 41 and I barely remember them. It seems name recognition means little to the juggernaut production company Legendary who brought you tiny little films like GODZILLA...and Pacific Rim...and Batman. I know next to nothing about this project, other than it is happening (as per a tip from Legendary's Twitter account) and a quicky video introducing the two young ladies playing the pivitol rolls...

As the east coast chips away at the 16 layers of ice, gamers rejoice at the one oasis of digital warmth on the horizon. It's just about PAX EAST TIME! That means row after row of new video games and cutting edge electronics on display, awesome costumes around every corner and piles of press releases for those of us who, very sadly, aren't attending. Reverb Tripple XP kicks things off with an announcement on 2 of their offerings available at the biggest gaming event on the east coast...

Reverb Triple XP announced today its line-up of two standout games for Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East 2015. From March 6-8, PAX EAST attendees can visit Reverb’s booth #7192 featuring two playable indie titles including the worldwide debut of Verona, a brand new third-person, action-adventure game playable for the first time, and the insane laser shark-filled Edge of Space.

In the all-new story arc “THE SPIDER-VERSE,” get ready to see Spider-Man like never before. When the Goblin opens portals to alternate worlds, Spider-Man must team up with alternative versions of Spider-Man to stop him, including a future version from the year 2099 (guest voice Freddy Rodriguez), Spider-Girl (guest voice Olivia Holt), Spider-Ham (guest voice Benjamin Diskin), and Spyder-Knight (guest voice Christopher Daniel Barnes). This four-part story will swing you through multi-dimensional adventures through a noir world, a world where everyone’s gender has been swapped, and a parallel universe where Peter Parker is dead and 13-year old Miles Morales (guest voice Donald Glover) is now Spider-Man.

Joining our celebrated DC Comics collection, Sideshow is proud to introduce the Batman ‘Gotham Knight’ Sixth Scale Figure <~click to pre-order!. Shine the signal, and the protector of Gotham City will emerge from the shadows to fight crime and bring justice! Bruce Wayne springs into action as his famed alter ego; Batman!

Crafted with meticulous attention to detail on a fully articulated muscular body design, our hero is disguised in a grey and black tailored Batsuit and cape. Inspired by a number of timeless comic book appearances, the Batman ‘Gotham Knight’ Sixth Scale Figure invites collectors to further define their favorite look for the Caped Crusader with three cowl and mask options, and three interchangeable facial expressions, which are also compatible with Sideshow’s Batman Sixth Scale Figure.

If you were on the fence over pre-ordering this latest and last installment of the wildly popular Rocksteady Studios Batman Video Game series...well...this bone chilling trailer just might change your mind.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today released the newest video from Batman: Arkham Knight. The Official Batman: Arkham Knight Trailer – “Gotham is Mine” features a closer look at some of the story’s most infamous super-villains. As Scarecrow unites the Rogues Gallery, including Two-Face, The Penguin, the Riddler, the Arkham Knight, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, they bring all-out war as they try to take down The Dark Knight, and claim Gotham City as their own.

How do we know this is big news for Idle Hands readers? Maybe it was the insane level of excitement we witnessed when we reported the creators of the remastered video game were touring conventions with a giant money pit you could dive into? Subtle hint. An all-new "DuckTales," an animated comedy series based on the Emmy Award-winning series treasured by a generation of viewers, has been ordered for launch in 2017 on Disney XD channels around the world. Set to be produced by Disney Television Animation, the new series will again star Disney's enduringly popular characters: Scrooge McDuck, his grandnephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, and Donald Duck. The announcement was made today by Marc Buhaj, Senior Vice President, Programming and General Manager, Disney XD.

Buhaj said, "DuckTales' has a special place in Disney's TV animation history; it drew its inspiration from Disney Legend Carl Barks' comic books, and through its storytelling and artistic showmanship, set an enduring standard for animated entertainment that connects with both kids and adults. Our new series will bring that same energy and adventurous spirit to a new generation."

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Today, Marvel Studios released the official movie poster for Avengers: Age of Ultron...and it blew people's minds! Not only does the poster's cast lineup reveal the appearance of Anthony Mackie's "Falcon" in the film (something apparently long rumored but not confirmed) but the poster art itself explores just how deeply Joss Whedon has changed our favorite alien fighting super team. Kevin Feige explains...

"The Avengers films, ideally, in the grand plan are always big, giant linchpins," he said. "It’s like as it was in publishing, when each of the characters would go on their own adventures and then occasionally team up for a big, 12-issue mega-event. Then they would go back into their own comics, and be changed from whatever that event was."

Idle Hands analyzes the poster art, lays out the new look of The Avengers in their upcoming blockbuster film and exposes just how profoundly they've been changed by the previous film...

Often, when a series is as loved across the globe as Power Rangers is, you get fan films. In my circle of friends, most of those tend to be Star Wars and Marvel Comics related, making it all the more baffling that Power Rangers isn't shown more indie film love. Welp...today...that ends...and you can forget everything you expect from indie cinema. This Power Rangers "bootleg" isn't super dramatic, overly artistic or having the appearance of a micro budget epic. Quite simply, this is Power Rangers on crack. (yes, I hate myself for saying it like that.) There's blood, techno destruction, more blood...OH and our favorite Bitch Puddin, Katee Sakhoff. LET'S WATCH!!!

Friday, February 13, 2015

We don't back a lot of Kickstarters here on Idle Hands because, frankly, when you write about one, 10 more come knocking for support. We'll admit we are a little biased on this one, as we've worked with the company for some time, but you can't help but support talent and an awesome idea! That's what lead us to talk about Maddie, the Cthulhu-esque Pony-Mentor of the Four Horsies of the Pocalypse. From playful concept that leaked onto the internet to fully funded Kickstarter, Maddie is now finding her way into the hands of grown up kids across the globe, so it is the perfect time to add her little charges to your collection! ..and the best part...THEY ARE ALREADY FULLY FUNDED! I love a sure thing!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

This one is HUUUUUGE!! As our Toy Fair 2015 coverage marches on, all the companies are now pitching their show previews at us and we are doing our best to get them online and before your eyes so you can commence...the droolinating. Mattel knocked on our door very politely and asked if they could get in on the fun, and when we said OF COURSE they heaved a telephone book sized stack of information at us. OK..we are exaggerating..just a little though. Dive in below and check out what Mattel has in store for 2015! Be sure to scroll all the way through as there may be some items at the bottom you'll be keen on!

The New York stop for Toy Fair 2015 is now 2 days away (give or take), so we have shifted into "getting ready" mode ...but we'd never neglect you! Let's run through some news from our favorite companies starting with Jakks Pacific and their powerhouse lineup of killer licences and giant toys that will literally crush the tiny action figures on your shelves!!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Wicked Cool Toys has entered into a strategic and worldwide licensing agreement with Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc., to become the Master Toymaker for the iconic and beloved brand, Cabbage Patch Kids®.

Created by Xavier Roberts, The Cabbage Patch Kids® have been welcomed as family members around the globe for over 30 years. With more than 130 million Cabbage Patch Kids and Little People® finding homes since 1978, the brand has generated more than 6 Billion dollars in revenue to date.

Award-winning publisher BOOM! Studios is most honored to announce the excellent return of the most outstanding time-travelers of the '80s and '90s in Bill & Ted’s Most Triumphant Return. Taking part in Bill & Ted’s non-heinous return to comics is accomplished wordsmith Brian Lynch (TMNT: Microseries, Angel: After the Fall, screenwriter of the Despicable Me spin-off feature film, Minions) and stellar illuminator of fine comics Jerry Gaylord (Fanboys Vs. Zombies). There will also be totally resplendent back-up stories in each issue, including a short by the excellent Ryan North (Adventure Time, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) and non-bogus artist dude Ian McGinty (Bravest Warriors, Munchkin) in issue #1.

“San Dimas, California’s favorite sons, Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted 'Theodore' Logan, are making a most triumphant return to comics—and the telephone booth—this March,” said BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon. “Brian’s scripts are hilarious and Jerry’s art channels all the magic of Bill and Ted’s first excellent adventure. We couldn’t be happier! This series is going to rock as hard as the Wyld Stallyns.”

“There are no strings on me.” Since the first official release of Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer, the film’s titular villain Ultron’s menacing appearance and memorable speech has grabbed many fans’ attention and left wondering how the Earth’s mightiest heroes can stand up against this highly dangerous robot and its large army.

With the epic blockbuster just few short months away from hitting theatres worldwide, Hot Toys is very excited to “show you something beautiful” today, the 1/6th scale Ultron Prime Collectible Figure<~click to pre-order, that many fans and collectors have eagerly awaited to see!

The movie-accurate Collectible Figure is specially crafted based on the image of Ultron Prime in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It stands approximately 41 cm tall, featuring a newly developed head sculpt and body with mechanical details, LED light-up head and upper body, and a specially designed Avengers: Age of Ultron logo figure base with LED light-up function!

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

As we hurtle toward the opening day of New York International Toy Fair 2015, we are going to speed through some news as quickly as we can so our data banks are empty and ready to be filled with coverage right from the show floor, so let's get to it! This one's a quickie on a topic we've been visiting..and revisiting..and updating...rinse..repeat. The news is coming from every corner of the globe now and we expect a good 75% of that Hasbro Jurassic World merchandise has now been revealed, so we'll be looking for those last stranglers and completing your checklists. Today, we complete your Velociraptor set...

While I don't think the format adequately captures the awkwardness of each character in this movie, I do applaud Funko for thinking outside the box. That said, will there be anyone in the world who would identify these toys for the characters they are meant to be outside the box? Ehhh..up for debate!

It's time to travel back to the 80's! Calling all John Hughes fans! Do you remember your sweet sixteen? Relive Samantha Baker's 16th birthday with the Sixteen Candles Pop! series. Samantha, Ted, Long Duck Dong and the always dreamy Jake Ryan complete the Sixteen Candles Pop! crew.

Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios announced today that Sony is bringing Marvel into the amazing world of Spider-Man.

Under the deal, the new Spider-Man will first appear in a Marvel film from Marvel's Cinematic Universe (MCU). Sony Pictures will thereafter release the next installment of its $4 billion Spider-Man franchise, on July 28, 2017, in a film that will be co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. Together, they will collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger. Sony Pictures will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films.

Marvel and Sony Pictures are also exploring opportunities to integrate characters from the MCU into future Spider-Man films.

Monday, February 9, 2015

I thought we'd kick off today's Toy Fair 2015 coverage with those little yellow henchmen kids can't get enough of. It's the Minions! This year, these odd little yellow people get their own movie and the toys have been kept completely under wraps. ...trust me..we've been checking. Today, we'll take a quick look at some of the figure designs coming our way with the movie's release. Will there be toys that talk? Most definitely. Will there be ones you can love and squish and hold captive forever? Absolutely. Will we be showing you either of those types of toys today? Probably not.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Zombies have come in and out and back into fashion. We've seen creepy bears and babies and all manor of monster animals and through it all, one license consistently cranked out some beautiful dolls even non collectors could admire while not beating the "spooky" theme (pardon the phrase) to death. Living Dead Dolls have surpassed all expectations and prove to be just as popular today as they were when they first crawled out of their tiny lil coffins. It wouldn't be a Toy Fair without a new wave of your favorite morbid kiddies, some all star guest stars and a teaser of what's to come. Let's get down to business...

Saturday, February 7, 2015

One week til Toy Fair 2015 takes over New York City...or at least a little sliver of it! As such, and as per usual, the reveals are coming fast and furious now. Case in point, our UK buddy who dropped the infamous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie descriptions on us checked in with a small pile of dinosaurs ready to chew up the patrons of a certain park that refuses to say closed...despite previous instances of chewing. Jurassic World is poised to be a powerhouse at the theater box offices and Hasbro is hoping to grab a bit of that frenzy with their superb line of dinosaurs packed with enough battle scars, roaring noises and chomping action to send your G.I. Joes scrambling for cover.

ABC has picked up “BattleBots,” a reimagined take of the killer robot combat sport from Whalerock Industries and the creators of the original “BattleBots” franchise, Ed Roski and Greg Munson. The homeade robots will battle against each other, in a single elimination tournament style format, until there is one champion. The six episode series is anticipated to air this summer. MGM Television, which has a development deal with Whalerock Industries, will be distributing the program internationally.

New York International Toy Fair 2015 is right around the corner, so Mezco invited all of us geeks to their offices to check out the new plastics, thus putting them first on the battleground on US soil. Smart bunch, those Mezcoians. We braved the bitter...bitter.....holy hell it was cold. WHY IS IT SO COLD??!! Anyways we put on 16 layers and hopped 3 trains to get to Mezco Headquarters for the annual event. Awaiting us beyond the gated checkpoint and barking dogs...was Mike Drake's smiling face...and doughnuts. Perfect morning combo. We've got a lot to cover here, so we figured we'd kick things off with Mezco's beautiful new baby boy for 2015....soooo beautiful you will look upon it and say "It's all full of stars..." and then fall out of your chair, jaw slack, eyes wide...

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Etch A Sketch®, The World’s Favorite Drawing Toy® turns 55 in 2015, #EtchASketch55Bday! The iconic toy was first introduced in the United States in 1960 by The Ohio Art Company as a mechanical drawing toy, but has since become the iconic toy everyone knows and loves. It is a symbol of American pop culture, an adult’s portal into blissful childhood memories, a preferred medium for some artists but most importantly, it is still a source of fun and entertainment for children of all ages. More than 175 million units have been sold worldwide since it made its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York City 55 years ago.

Everyone's favorite wascally wabbit is set to become immortalized by Mezco as part of a new licensing agreement.

Since his debut on screens in Porky's Hare Hunt in 1938, Bugs Bunny has appeared in over 200 cartoons and numerous films. He was the 1st cartoon character to appear on a postage stamp (sorry Mickey) and has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

MORE MASHERS!! This will be another quickie update as we've had some further Hasbro Marvel Super Hero Mashers cross the office desk..and this update has 100% more GROOT per square inch! In our last update, we explored the play value of these Hero Mashers to a grown-ass-man/woman (which becomes irrelevant as you fall in love and leave the store with an armful at a time), the addition to this play value when you factor in pizza and burgers as accessories, and the wonders of translucent plastics, which are plentiful in these toys. Oh...we didn't talk about translucent plastics last time? DUDE...THERE ARE COLORFUL, SEE THROUGH PLASTICS APLENTY!! You want them, yes? Still on the fence? Then let's Groot some Groot Groot, Groot?

Back over to UK Toy Fair 2015 where Titan had another strong showing with endless waves of their mini Titans vinyl figures from cult favorite films and TV shows, specifically designed to make you twitch and throw money as if it were an unconscious physical reaction. This year's lineup includes the films Alien, Ghostbusters, TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, Breaking Bad, Sherlock and Doctor Who, the video game Dragon Age and musical legends The Beatles! Let's take a look at the goods...

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

This one will be a quickie! As we dig through the mountains of Toy Fair 2015 coverage from UK and Germany, and the bits that drop into our email from pr reps and friends alike, it becomes a constant struggle to figure out what is actually new and what has been seen by super fans already, but maybe not the rest of the planet. Often, the choice to run a story comes down to "Damn, that's cool. DO EEET!" Hey, it's not rocket science. Today we'll take a quick look at some new Kre-O Transformers bits from Hasbro! Fans had speculated the line was nearing the end of days with poor sales reported and Toys R Us remaining one of the few retailers supporting the product. Here's what we've uncovered...

We now take a little break from the Toy Fair 2015 news to show you a trailer for a team up that would send, at the very least, a mini geek-gasm through the body of any self respecting dork...even if they don't currently collect comic books.

The Guardians of the Galaxy, the All-New X-Men, Nova, Captain Marvel, Cyclops and more team up for a cosmic throwdown the likes of which have never been seen in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY & X-MEN: THE BLACK VORTEX! On sale this week, the highly anticipated first issue in the upcoming crossover from fan-favorite writer Sam Humphries and blockbuster artist Ed McGuinness!

Apparently it's LEGO's goal this year to take all of Character Options' properties to the states! First Scooby Doo and now...the Doctor is in! Doctor Who and LEGO® fans around the world received exciting news today as The LEGO Group announced that it would be producing a LEGO Doctor Who set.

The concept for a Doctor Who set came from the LEGO® IDEAS website where fans can submit ideas for a set and vote for their favorite idea to be produced.

Back into the post UK, post Nuremberg, pre-NY Toy Fair 2015 show!! WOOO. We should put all that on a t shirt. It's kinda catchy. Hasbro hops back into the kiddie pool with a stack of toys that may delight children while angering long time adult fans who will be found in the isles shaking boxes yelling "WHY AREN'T YOU A MARVEL LEGENDS AVENGERS LINE??!! YOU ARE WASTING MY PEG SPACE!!!" We are a passionate lot. Not a lot of info to go with this latest batch, but we've got little bits of knowledge to share along with the customary eye candy...

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Our UK Toy Fair coverage is far from over, but before we get back into that ocean of awesome, we've got some new business to take care of! Nuremberg Toy Fair is ever the enigma with 99% of the show locked down to press (even though they give out press badges), but we've still got some goods to unveil. AND UNVEIL WE SHALL! Let's take a moment for...NECA appreciation. Any follower of Idle Hands on any one of our social media spots..or even my own personal pages, knows I can't help but gush over most of NECA's toy offerings. As this crew adds new articulation to every release, their sculpting and painting game remains as strong as ever and most importantly, they wear their fandom out on their sleeves for all to see, so we can't help but hope for them to get all the licenses we love...because they love what we love! Who continued the Masters of the Universe line when Mattel abandoned it? NECA. Who made a Balrog toy to battle our Toy Biz Lord of the Rings figures? NECA did. I start the slow clap for my New Jersey toy making family...and as you join me, we'll check out some new stuff in a quick but exciting sneak peek!

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